💡 Trivia Mosquitoes Don't Find You Only by Smell

[Beatriz9]

Carbon dioxide from your breath is an important cue mosquitoes can follow, but it isn't their only one.

They can also respond to body odors, heat, humidity, and visual information.

At closer distances, multiple sensory cues help them locate a suitable place to land and feed.

This is one reason simply trying to “hide your smell” isn't a complete mosquito-avoidance strategy.

To a mosquito, a human is a combination of chemical, visual, moisture, and heat signals.

© National Institutes of Health